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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27734095">how do cupids ever find the time for love?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/absolutely_mendokusai/pseuds/absolutely_mendokusai'>absolutely_mendokusai</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Love Across The Universe: Dangan Salmon Team, M/M, Matchmaking</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:33:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,054</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27734095</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/absolutely_mendokusai/pseuds/absolutely_mendokusai</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In which an Ouma Kokichi desperate to leave the worst dating show ever concieved attempts to get everyone together so the game can just end. (With the help of a certain detective, of course.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akamatsu Kaede/Amami Rantaro, Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito, Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>142</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>There was no greater lie in the world than reality TV.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all fabricated. Everyone knew that. The majority of reality was boring, but on TV, it was perfectly edited to make things exciting. Characters were perfectly picked with strong, contrasting personalities, put into the zaniest settings to cause them the greatest amount of stress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ouma Kokichi never liked reality TV. It was pointless. If you wanted to watch a lie, just watch a fiction movie. So of course he had somehow ended up on what might be the crappiest TV show of all time. And a dating show at that, ugh. Don’t they know couples born from these never last more than a month?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the very least, they could’ve gotten people that had a chance to get along, people who were compatible and looking for love. But no. Instead they took sixteen teenagers with varying interests and personalities and threw them here against their will. Why? Because it was more fun, that’s why. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What sort of dating show even was this? There was no competitions, no rose ceremonies, no eliminations. Which was a shame, as Kokichi would surely have been the first one out. No, it was nothing but the daily life of a bunch of people who probably needed therapy. At least they didn’t have to do those confessionals where they sat down and talked about their feelings. Never in a billion years would he have signed up for this. He didn’t know why anyone but the most shallow and attention-craving would, and that didn’t seem to fit any of them. Well, maybe Iruma. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’d been here for nearly a week now and not a single couple had formed. Not a single couple was close to forming. Oh sure, a few friendships. Some UST between a few of those friendships. However, no one wanted to make any moves. Of course not. They were all too shy or unsure of themselves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were going to be here for the rest of their lives at this rate. Or maybe the bear would get sick of things and start that killing game that was mentioned in the beginning. At least that had a clear way to end it, even if the thought of it made Kokichi’s stomach churn. He didn’t like violence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, he didn’t like love either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, that may have been a bit of a lie. Outside in the real world, he had ten friends who he loved very dearly. Romantic love on the other hand? Kokichi knew for a fact that he couldn’t get anybody to like him like that way. They had all looked at his title and made assumptions, assumptions Kokichi was perfectly fine playing along with. He’ll rather be the antisocial villain than in some crappy showmance people at home would swoon over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had to do something. He couldn’t waste time in here. It was making him anxious, it was driving him crazy. He had an organization to lead. What about that death game? He didn’t want to die.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ouma Kokichi had to be a matchmaker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Course, there were plenty of people he could start with. He had a whiteboard in his room of potential couples, placed together, lines drawn all around of who might work, who definitely wouldn’t.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, there were a few people who he just couldn’t see working with anyone. Shinguji was just weird. Kokichi was pretty sure robots couldn’t feel love and thus couldn’t put Kiibo with anyone. Iruma? Who would ever want to willingly be with her? Then there was Harukawa and Momota of course, who clearly had mutual feelings for each other, but Harukawa was an antisocial tsundere assassin and Momota was just an idiot. And then there were the cute little love triangles, right out of a bad romance movie. You had the trio of girls who were slightly insane, where both Yonaga and Chabashira had a crush on that chuunibyou magician for some reason.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The center of the love triangle Kokichi decided to concentrate on first however was of course Akamatsu Kaede, the ever-optimistic Ultimate Pianist. Always smiling. A sweetheart you would love to take back home to the parents with no problems. Normal but not to the point of absolute boredom like Shirogane. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As much as Kokichi hated easy mode, tutorial levels are there for a reason, and pairing Akamatsu with someone would be a great tutorial.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Option A was Amami Rantaro, the Ultimate Mysterious Pretty Boy who can paint nails and is oh-so-mysterious. Looks right out of a boy band. ‘Course, Option B, Saihara Shuuichi might be able to pull that off if he just took off his stupid emo hat and looked someone in the eye. The shy detective had befriended Akamatsu nearly instantaneously, having woken up in the same room as her. One of the two boys were almost always hanging out with her, but never at the same time. Were they aware of the rivalry? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi wasn’t sure which one Akamatsu preferred.  It was the classic mysterious bad boy vs shy guy situation. He did know which of the two would be easier to work with. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara was one of the only people here who went out of his way to talk to him, thinking he could somehow solve the mystery of Ouma Kokichi. It was a bit cute, really. Kokichi had a rapport with the boy. He could work with him easily. Yes, he would talk to Saihara, inspire him, get him to confess to Akamatsu, and then they’ll all be one step closer to leaving this place. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Kokichi approached him while he was alone in the hallway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Saihara-chan, you made a promise to hang out with me today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did?” Saihara scrunched up his face, deep in thought. “I don’t remember that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You- You don’t?” He called tears to his eyes. “You’re so mean! How could you forget me like that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, calm down!” said Saihara, putting his arms out as if wanting to comfort. “If you want to hang out, you can just ask, you know. I’m free.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did yesterday, but apparently you forgot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right.” Saihara sighed and resigned to his fate. I’ll spend some time with you. What do you want to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi sent the tears away and smiled. “Follow me.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Kokich dragged Saihara into one of the spare classrooms and sat him down on one of the desks. Kokichi sat backwards in the chair of the desk in front of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to work on your confidence, all right?” Kokichi started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? What’s wrong with my confidence?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything.” Saihara opened his mouth, but Kokichi went on. “This is a dating show, right? Not a very good one, of course, but still. The end goal is to fall in loooove with somebody. Expect you’re too shy to flirt, so I thought we would fix that, or else you’ll end up alone forever and we’ll end up stuck in here forever.” Or forced to kill each other, but Kokichi left that part out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why me, though?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because, you’re my favorite and I want to see you happy.” Again, Saihara opened his mouth eagared to butt in, but Kokich went on. “Now, listen. A very important part of looking confident is eye contact, something you’re an absolute failure at. It’s an easy thing to change, though. Let’s start off by removing that hat of yours.” He reached towards it, but Saihara leaned back and held the brim tight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” he said, sounding the most assured Kokichi ever heard him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on. It makes you look super emo. I’m sure Akamatsu-chan would love to see your beautiful eyes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” asked Saihara. He shook his head. “My eyes aren’t beautiful. They’re normal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, no one will know for sure unless you decide to show the world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to,” he said, sounding like a petulant toddler.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara was silent. Welp, they were already stuck on step one. “Fine, if Saihara-chan is too much of a coward to take off his hat, we’ll have to try something else.” He bit his finger, thinking. Standing straight and tall was another one, but what was the point if there was that stupid hat? His voice, maybe? He did speak rather softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you manage to be so confident all the time, Ouma-kun?” Saihara asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was born like this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know what? I believe that.” Saihara leaned back in his chair and looked up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t good. All he was doing was making him more depressing. “You don’t actually have to feel confident, y’know? Just lie to the world. Lie to yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you need confidence in the first place to lie properly.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Wasn’t that just the catch? “Well, since you can’t talk to people directly, we have to work on ways of flirting that are less direct. You could write a love letter. That doesn’t require talking, You can slip it under her door!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s door?” Saihara’s cheeks tinted red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You blush too easily, you know? That doesn’t help the whole shy preteen girl vibes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is there a way to fix that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm, well, I never blush. Then again, I’m never embarrassed about anything, so I have no reason to.” Some people blush easier than others, right? Even if it made Saihara look like a teenage girl, there was nothing he could do about it. “Love letters fit your type of character more anyway.” Kokichi pulled out his notebook. “You read lots of boring novels, right? You should know how to do this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Being good at reading doesn’t mean being good at writing, Ouma-kun. Where is this all coming from anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you.” Kokichi smiled. “You’re my favorite, and I just want to make you so very happy.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“By… Getting me to give someone a love letter?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really didn’t get it, did we? “That’s why we’re here, Saihara-chan. I know it’s easy to forget.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one’s started dating yet, you know? If we take too long, Monokuma might get bored and start that death game he mentioned. Of course, that would be more fun I suppose, than this boring mess. Still, I don’t think that change would be too popular in our little group, and you’ll all be annoying and mopey. So I’m just trying to make things more exciting around here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara seemed to consider that. “You don’t think Monokuma would actually do that, would you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course he wouldn’t! I’m sure the dating show with no dating is absolutely dominating television ratings. I bet everyone in Japan is watching right now, if not the whole world! That’s why it hasn’t ended, we’re making so much money they’re gonna keep us here forever and ever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara covered his hand with his mouth. Oh no, did he actually make the boy nervous? He didn’t need more anxiety. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you flirt with someone, get them to fall in love with you, and end this game?” asked Saihara. “You’re good at lying, you could trick somebody.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That type of lie is boring though.” He didn’t want to play with others’ emotions that much unless he absolutely had to. “Besides, Monokuma probably won’t stop this with just one couple. I bet at least half of us will have to get together for him to even consider ending this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a point. I don’t have a crush on anyone here though. There’s other people who could use your help more. Like Harukawa-san and Momota-kun.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those two can’t stand me. Saihara-chan is the only one who will hang out with me without blackmail, thoughYou’re the only one who’ll hang out with me without blackmail. You’re that scared of me. So I thought I would start with you. Besides, you do like someone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t-” Saihara paused for a second and sighed. “This is about Akamatsu-chan, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bingo! You really are the Ultimate Detective, huh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I don't like her, though,” he said. Kokichi smiled. “Well, maybe a bit at first-” Blush. “ But now she's like a sister to me." We've only been here five days. "Besides, she likes Amami-san. She told me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ah, that was it. He already thought Akamatsu was out of his grasp. Poor boy must’ve given up. At least he can move on fast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"So? They're not dating yet, are they? If you're really interested, I'm sure you could change her mind. You just gotta make the first move."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No." Saihara shook his head. “We’re really just friends.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Phooey. Saihara was just too nice, allowing himself to get cucked by the Ultimate Mysterious Pretty Boy. There goes that plan. At least he had confirmation Akamatsu liked someone. It wasn’t all pointless. “Well, do you like anybody else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara pulled the brim of his hat, hiding his eyes even more. “No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was that a lie? Saihara had to act nervous all the time, huh? It was the opposite of a poker face, but somehow even more effective.  Ah well, he could worry about that later. Akamatsu and Amami then. Hm. Amami probably liked Akamatsu, right? Then why hadn’t he confessed? He had confidence unlike Saihara. Oh, he’ll have to start from square one.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you need help?” Kokichi opened his mouth, ready to say no, but the detective continued. “Akamatsu-san is my best friend. I know her better than you do. People are also more likely to listen to me than they are you...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hm. The detective had a point. “Fine, you can offer your advice if you want, okay? We can make your piano friend happy together. ” </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>-I can’t believe there isn’t a fic with this premise. Do you really think Kokichi, who ran around all over the place doing god knows what behind the scenes in the main mode (how he knew the combination to Rantaro’s safe by chapter 2 haunts me), would just sit still and do nothing in Salmon Mode? The previous fics I wrote were shorter, but I’m going all out for this one. I have an outlin and I never outline shit.<br/>-As you probably guessed, the game-y elements of Salmon Mode (the date tickets, the ten-day limit) are removed. Think of it as something like UK Big Brother where no one gets to leave until the bear is satisfied.<br/>-On that point, I like to imagine Danganronpa V3 is like Big Brother where it has live feeds and an edited show that airs a few times a week. Especially since the main game only lasted like two weeks and is implied to be watched live considering the viewer surveys.<br/>-By the way, are there any ships people like between the characters of Ryoma, Tsugumi, Kirumi, Gonta, and Korekiyo? As one pair out of those five will get together. I’m leaning towards Gonta/Kirumi as wannabe gentleman x refined maid amuses me, but if anybody has a rare ship they’re yearning for, here’s your chance. I’m not gonna add the rest of the pairings until I get to the chapter until I get to the chapters, but it’s gonna be Rantaro x Kaede, Kaito x Maki, Himiko x Angie x Tenko, and Kiibo x Miu.<br/>-Follow me on <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/absolutely-mendokusai">tumblr</a>!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Ouma-kun, I have a question,” asked Saihara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” said Kokichi, looking up from his notebook where he was scribbling ideas for how to get Akamatsu and Amami together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you ever dated anyone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi paused. “No. Of course, I’ve had hundreds of people ask me, y’know?” And by that he means one junior DICE member. “I’m a real heartthrob. But I’m just too busy with my organization. I don’t have time for things like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... Right,” said Saihara, clearly not believing it but knowing better at this point to push. One of the things Kokichi appreciated about him, really. “Well, I’ve never dated anybody either. Are we really the best here people to be doing this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right! Let me just ask the Ultimate Playboy to help us out. Hey, do you think that’s what Amami-chan’s talent is? Certainly fits his looks, doesn’t it? Would that be lucky or unlucky for Akamatsu-chan?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that’s a real talent,” said Saihara. </span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Haven’t you seen his lab? The x-ed out pictures are clearly all the hearts he’s broken.” Or people he’s murdered. While Amami seemed nice enough, Kokichi was hesitant to put him high on his trust list. While Saihara seemed to seriously be considering Amami’s talent, Kokichi went on. “You’re a detective, so you can figure anything out, and I’m a supreme leader, so I have max charisma and can get anybody to do what I want. Everyone knows what love is like from TV. We don't need experience.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, what are you planning then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are the facts, Saihara-chan? Tell me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know for a fact Akamatsu-san likes Amami-san, and Amami-san certainly flirts with her. They’re both relatively open about their feelings compared to most here. We just need them to confess to each other,” said Saihara. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"But how do you trigger a confession?" muttered Kokichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> "I could just tell Akamatsu-san that she should confess,” offered Saihara. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, if it was that easy she would’ve already done it. Besides, that wouldn’t make good TV." Reality shows were all about stupid drama. If no stupid drama happened, then there might be a dark and gritty reboot."We need something to give them a push, you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A push?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, a trigger to get one of them to confess to each other. Like… A love rivalry!" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A rivalry?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was it. Kokichi looked at Saihara. It was perfect. If he thought Saihara liked Akamatsu despite it apparently not being the truth, surely others thought the same. "Yeah. Unlike you, Amami-chan has confidence, so if you tell him you’re going to confess to Akamatsu-chan, he’ll feel threatened and actually do something about it. We can use the love triangle to our advantage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"The love triangle? You mean- But I don't like her, I told you!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi rolled his eyes. "So? It seems like you do, and that's enough. So, if you make threaten to make the first move, he’ll have to do something, or he’ll lose his chance. Maybe you can offer to have a battle for her love. Yeah! A contest for Akamatsu-san’s affections, expect you’ll purposefully lose."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds something out of a… Show.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara sighed. “Can’t you tell him you’ll ask Akamatsu-san out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure! He’ll definitely believe me, especially with all the times me and Akamatsu-chan have talked. We’re BFFs, you know. Maybe I’m just projecting on you two, maybe I’m the one in love with her."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I get it, I get it..." Saihara sighed. "I'm really not going to be good at this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, but you’re the best we got.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>There was Amami, staring out a window in the hallway, looking all mysterious and cool. Probably going through his memories, trying to remember himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know if this’ll really work,” said Saihara, peering around the corner with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> "Come on. Just hide behind that stupid hat of yours and follow the script. I’ll be watching you, okay? Try not to stutter too much though.” Kokichi pushed him around the corner and the boy stumbled up to Amami. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H-Hello,” said Saihara, instantly failing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, hey, Saihara. How are you doing?” Amami said, turning to him with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara pulled down his hat, already hiding before the conversation begun, and got straight to the point. “We need to talk."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"About what?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I like- I like-” Kokichi didn’t need a good look at Saihara’s face to know he was blushing right now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, I get it!” Amami lifted his hand, trying to get Saihara to stop. “I’m sorry, but there’s already someone else I like.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! I mean, yes! I mean- This isn’t-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, great. Saihara was now panicking. This was going absolutely peachy. Oh, he should’ve grabbed one of the Bluetooth transmitters from his lab and coached the poor boy through this. How a detective managed with social anxiety, Kokichi had no clue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amami continued. “You’re a nice person, but-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I like Akamatsu-chan?” Saihara finally said in one breath. Could do within the question mark, but small steps, small steps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, really?” Amami sighed and scratched his head. "Yeah, that's not surprising. I kind of suspected."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did?!” Saihara’s voice cracked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course, you two always hang out with each other. Of course you would like her. Who wouldn’t like her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do, don’t you?” said Saihara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I do a bit,” he admitted. “But don’t worry, I won’t get in your way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is what this is about, isn’t it? You’re going to confess to her and you were making sure I was okay with it. I’ll be lying if I said I wouldn’t be a little jealous, but you’re a good person, Saihara-kun.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But don't you want to date her too? We could… Battle?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Battle?" Amami laughed. "Oh, don't worry. I won't get in your way."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh no. Kokichi hid around the cornet and groaned. Amami was also prepared to get cucked. These people were all absolute idiots without a backbone in their body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi peered back around the corner and locked, panic in his eyes. "But don't you like her too? We- Shouldn’t we have to compete for each other’s love or something?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is a reality show, not a shoujo manga."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi bit his thumb. Well, they could keep going with this scenario. Could he get Saihara to start dating Akamatsu, see if that’ll bring out Amami’s jealousy? Of course, he’ll have to get Saihara to agree to that plan, and he’ll probably want Akamatsu to agree to it to. If that didn’t get Amami jealous, fake relationships stories always ended with the couple actually falling in love, right? Maybe he could get Saihara with Akamatsu after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi was trying to figure out how to get this sentiment to the detective with only hand gestures and mouthing words when Saihara did something awful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He went off-script.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait! I don’t actually like Akamatsu-chan,” said the detective as fast as he said the original confession.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘NO’ Kokichi mounted from around the corner. ‘Say it’s a lie.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amami blinked slowly. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was a lie. I was lying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>God damn it, Saihara. ‘TAKE IT BACK.’ Saihara shook his head and looked at Amami with renewed confidence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Amami scratched his head. “Have you been hanging around Ouma-kun lately?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe a bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Interesting…” said Amami. What did that mean? Thinking no one would want to hang out with him, surely. “But… Why did you lie?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara went on. “I was trying to make you jealous or something, but it didn’t work. You’re really nice too, Amami-kun. You would also be good for Akamatsu-chan, and the fact you were going to let me date her was evidence of that. I think you should ask her out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see. You’re trying to give me advice.” Amami put his hand over his mouth. Was he blushing? Why did so many people here blush so much? “I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to ruin things between us, you know? What if she doesn’t like me and she likes you instead?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s told me. ‘I think Amami-chan is really cool. I wish I knew how to ask him out.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? But still… If it makes things awkward...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What the fuck was this generic shit he was spewing? This isn’t high school, god damn it. This is a game. Saihara looked at Kokichi. ‘You only live once’, Kokichi mounted, looking Saihara in the eye. Saihara nodded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, even if things go bad, at least you can say you took the chance. We were put here to find love.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were put on this Earth to find love…” Amami muttered to himself. Kokichi was pretty sure Saihara meant the school, but let him take the metaphor however the hell he wanted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You- You should ask her to teach you how to play piano. I think she would like that. And… Maybe then you can ask her out."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You think it would be that easy?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara nodded. "Akamatsu-san is a straight-forward person. I don’t think you need to do anything fancy. She's probably in her lab now, if you want to…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, Saihara. I hope you're right."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so, Amami walked off to find Akamatsu with determination, Kokichi putting himself against the wall to hide. As soon as his footsteps faded, Saihara rushed over to Kokichi, looking at him with wide eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He went completely off-script. Assuming Amami did confess, it wouldn’t be as interesting TV as a love battle. Still, it was some plot progression, Kokichi supposed. The audience was probably desperate at this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besides, praise led to confidence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You did decent," Kokichi said. "A bit nervous, but that was of course inevitable."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara scratched his head. “I’m sorry.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No. I should've come up with an alternative plan. Yours was ok. But we still can’t be sure if Amami-chan’s going to confess, you know. He could chicken out. We should go spy on them, make sure they succeed."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How? Akamatsu-chan’s lab is soundproof, and there’s no place to hide inside. I trust in Amami-chan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course he did. Still, Kokichi wanted to see immediate results. He wanted to know it worked and that they were finally getting somewhere. He didn’t want to spend the afternoon sitting around and doing nothing. He had to plan. He had to keep the momentum going. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I understand why you’re nervous, but there’s really nothing else we can do at this point. We could study, if you want to. I suppose-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We? Your role is done, Saihara-chan. You can go off and play with Momota-chan or whoever if you want to." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I can keep on helping you," offered Saihara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Who said I need anymore help?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said at least half of us would have to get together for Monokuma to consider letting us out, right? You wouldn’t stop with just Amami-kun and Akamatsu-san. You probably just started there because I was the closest to you. You're probably going to keep going.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara wanted to be his assistant? But why? Clearly Saihara wanted to get out too. Everyone did. But to work with him? Was this just another attempt to figure him out? No, he wouldn’t go that far. He was doing this out of the kindness of his heart or whatever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What can you offer?" Kokichi asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Offer? I- I'm a detective, you said it earlier. You couldn't have done this without me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was a lie. Kokichi would've figured out some convoluted way. Still, he supposed Saihara was more of a people pleaser. Everyone liked him. He was the opposite of Kokichi in that way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Also, Momota and Harukawa, Saihara's two best friends after Akamatsu, were probably the next easiest to pair up and they could barely stand him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Also, the detective really was the most bearable person here by far.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see! You want to join my organization after all?" Kokichi made sure his eyes twinkled. "I’ll let you know the initiation is quite rough. Only one out of ten can survive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ouma-kun, that means a hundred thousand-” Saihara shook his head. “Never mind. I don’t want to join. I just want to help while we here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aw, and here I was so sure Saihara-chan changed his mind. You can be a temporary member, then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking more along the lines of equals.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fiine. I’ll allow you to work with me, but only because you’ve already proven your worth. But, if you keep on helping me, Saihara-chan, then we have to make better TV than this, all right? We need drama, or else we’ll get cancelled or have a dark and gritty reboot. Now what were you saying about studying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so, Kokichi spent the rest of the afternoon in the library taking careful notes on the Fruits Basket while Saihara sat across from him reading Kimi ni Todoke, and taking less notes but still making an effort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That night, Amami and Akamatsu walked into the dining hall holding hands that supper. and Kokichi could’ve danced, he was so happy. He managed to catch Saihara’s eye from across the dining hall and give him a thumbs up. Saihara smiled back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mission: Success. One step closer to sweet, sweet freedom. </span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>On the way back to the dorms Kokichi ran past Saihara and snatched that stupid hat right off of his head and ran away with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Kokichi could hear the detective run behind him, chasing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed and jumped on the table in the courtyard and turned around, facing him, finally getting a good look at the detective.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A bit of his hair stuck out. Saihara had an ahoge. Maybe that’s why he kept it covered. Kokichi giggled. Still, it was a bit cute. Not as unnaturally tall as Kiibo’s, which looked more like an antenna. Saihara reached the table and stopped, face flushed from running.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give that back!” he said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi leaned down and got a good look at his face. Yellow, huh? “Saihara-chan, I think your eyes are like gold! Definitely beautiful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The detective turned red, reached towards air where his brim should be in an attempt to cover his face, and turned redder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nishishi! I’m sure you could get anybody here to fall in love with you if you really wanted to with looks like that. Tell me if you need my help, okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi threw the hat at Saihara, jumped off the table, and ran off towards the dorm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Meet me in my room tomorrow after breakfast, 'kay?" he shouted back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What great fun today was. Finally, a bit of progress. Maybe there was hope. Maybe he would see the other side of that wall someday.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>-Last chapter I asked who out of five characters you would want together. Someone in the comments said Kirumi/Tsumigi, and I'll be honest, at first I was like, "no, they're both boring." But then as I wrote the end parts of the story instead of the beginning, I realized giving Tsumugi, undercover mastermind a character arc, would work out real well for the overall narrative. So whoever said that is a genius, thank you for the inspiration.<br/>-I entered Danganronpa V3 being spoiled on about 40% of the game (don't worry, I do it on purpose) and Rantaro was one of the four characters along with Kiibo, Shuuichi, and Kokichi I picked to love for the sole reason he looks just like Keiji from Your Turn To Die. Then after the prologue I spoiled myself on the rest of the game and it was like, "shoot." By the way, the first time I saw Kaede was her out-of-context execution on TikTok and I was a hundred percent sure she was a villian as she looked like every mean girl in high school.<br/>-If anyone wants to yell at me about Kokichi, my tumblr is <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/absolutely-mendokusai">here</a>.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The knock on his door ten minutes after the morning announcement was quiet and he barely heard it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi opened the door.“G-Good morning,” said the Ultimate Detective. The hat was still off, Kokichi was pleased to note, though the eye contact was still a struggle considering he was looking down the hallway at absolutely nothing. Small steps, small steps. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Saihara-chan. What are you looking at?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“N-Nothing. Can I come in?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. That’s why I invited you here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara made no move to enter, so Kokichi grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the room, making sure the door shut behind him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara looked around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a bit messy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wrong! I know exactly where everything’s at. It’s cluttered, not messy,” said Kokichi, stepping over a pile of papers on the floor (an ongoing attempt to catalogue every book in the library to find a clue. What clue he was looking for, Kokichi wasn’t sure, but the amount of porno the supposedly high school library had was outstanding.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where did you find the time to collect all this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi was no stranger to insomnia. However, he did very well off of a few hours of sleep. Sure, all the Panta in the world couldn’t stave off the inevitable crash, but in short term situations where anxiety was running high, it allowed him to get shit done. That shit being mostly thinking and lurking around the school, inspecting everything, trying to find the one clue that would lead to an early escape. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, if he told Saihara that, he would get all worried and concerned, so instead he smiled. “I’m always busy, Saihara-chan. Even when it seems I’m not..”  He  reached his whiteboard and taped on it, smiling. “Anyway, this is my web of love!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara sat on his bed, eyeing the horse mask (the things you could find if you went deep enough into the warehouse. Kokichi was quite impressed with the collection of Yu-Gi-Oh cards.) “How did you get this whiteboard in here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A supreme leader has his ways” And by that he meant finding it in a classroom on the third floor and dragging it to his bedroom with a lot of cursing, but the detective really didn’t need to know that. “Now, first things first, Saihara-chan. Are you sure there’s no one you like? ‘Cause people are gonna go fast.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right. But if you change your mind, tell me, because making Saihara-chan happy is my top priority. Amami-chan and Akamatsu-chan are together, so we don’t have to worry about them anymore. That’s why they’re on the left.” Kokichi had drawn a line connecting them with a heart on top of it. “The middle of the whiteboard is who I might get together next. See? There’s Harukawa-chan and Momota-chan, of course. You’re close to them, right? You get what’s going on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saihara nodded. “Momota-kun is the one who brought Harukawa-chan out of her shell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Exactly.” The first days here, Harukawa-chan spent most of her time guarding her lab, for obvious reasons. It had been Momota who had sat there and talked with her, until she eventually called them all up to her lab and told them the truth. Which Kokichi of course already suspected. ‘Ultimate Child Caregiver’? Really? Not with that death glare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Anyway, since then Momota had dragged the assassin to the nighttime training sessions with Saihara and Akamatsu (which, from what Kokichi has seen the one time they were out during his nighttime investigating, mostly consisted of Saihara and Akamatsu struggling to lift themselves up, Harukawa finishing in five minutes, and Momota finding an excuse to stop early and stargaze.)  Of course, Momota-chan was friendly to everyone, but Harukawa certainly got real blushy around him, more so than usual. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then there’s the three girls. Chabashira-chan clearly likes Yumeno-chan, maybe too much, but I think Angie-chan could like her too, so there’s a love triangle there we have to solve. Like with you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That wasn’t really a love triangle though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi ignored him. “So I drew a triangle around them. Anyway, then there’s the rest I don’t know what to do with, which is why they’re on the right. Of course, some are easier than others. Iruma-chan’s horny enough we could get her together with anyone, probably.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Are you sure? I think she could have a thing for Kiibo.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi shook his head. “Robots can’t feel love, silly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kiibo’s the Ultimate Robot. His AI is complex. He clearly feels feelings.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s just a program. Besides, I don’t think he has a dick and Iruma-chan likes those a lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure Iruma-san could give him one. If Kiibo-kunm wanted it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Give him a dick, huh? Maybe she could give Kiibo a vagina too. Live out all of her futanari fantasies. That had potential. “I’ll put them together for you, Saihara-chan,” he said, putting both Iruma and Kiibo in the middle and connecting them with a line with a question mark on it. “Anyway, I’m not sure about the rest. Shirogane-chan is as plain as the protagonist of a harem manga. We could probably get her with anyone, she’s a nice wild card. Shinguji-chan… He’s a bit strange. I dunno if anyone’ll work with him. Hoshi-chan is probably too depressed to fall in love right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t say that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on. He’ll probably just say he has a waaays to go if someone tries to confess to him. Anyway, Gonta’s nice and he’ll also be really easy to work with, so there’s potential with him. Toujou-chan does so much she deserves love if you ask me, but she doesn’t really hang out with anybody. Then there’s you. What do you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The detective considered for a moment. “You’ve clearly put a lot of thought into this, Ouma-kun. But why aren’t you on there?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I told you, Saihara-chan. No one’s going to fall in love with me, so there’s no point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t it sad to think that way?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was cute how concerned Saihara seemed to be for him. Kokichi rolled his eyes. “I don’t wanna find love on a dating show.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think any of us do, but while we’re here, shouldn’t we make the most of it? Isn’t there a possibility someone might fall in love with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi sighed, but quickly drew a cartoon of himself on the whiteboard to appease Saihara. He did have somewhat of  a point. You should always prepare for every possible scenario. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyway, I think we should do Momota-chan and Harukawa-chan next as you’re friends with them, and they’re the ones who clearly have a mutual like for each other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They both hate you though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s mutual too, don’t worry.” Well, Momota was just annoying. Harukawa, on the other hand. It went against his morals to get along with someone like her. At least Hoshi-chan was punished for what he did. She would probably keep on killing once they got out of here. She was dangerous, and the fact everyone blindly trusted her drove him crazy. “That’s why you’re here, Saihara-chan. They'll talk to you. Anyway, I got a strategy planned out. See, Momota-chan and Harukawa-chan are the classic idiot and tsundere couple.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s a tsundere?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It means while she acts all cool and tough and like she hates everything on the outside, on the inside she’s all soft and and sweet and just wants to be loved.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see…” Saihara put his hand over his mouth, considering. “So you would be a tsundere then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The audacity Saihara had to reduce his character to an overused romance cliche, one that wasn’t even true. “No! I have no softness on the inside, you know that. If you need another example, Chabashira-chan’s one. They tend to have twintails a lot and say stuff like, ‘it’s not like I like you or anything, idiot!’ Ask Shirogane-chan if you need more details. They appear all the time in shitty anime. And dating shows, apparently.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you call people idiot all the time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I call people who are actually idiots idiot. Tsunderes call everyone an idiot, especially their love interest. Anyway, you’re getting off-topic, Saihara-chan. The point is, the trick to seducing a tsundere is that you need to peel back the tsun and reveal the dere. Then, you hit!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s like those candies that are hard on the outside and soft on the inside. It just takes a little more effort. You need to weaken it before you bite into it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see… I think.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, we need to start with Momota-chan. He's the one who needs to break the exterior. Ask him to meet in the courtyard after breakfast today, okay?"</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Saihara must've not told Momota who he was meeting, because as the duo approached him, the astronaut narrowed his eyes. “Why is he here?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Saihara-chan got bored of you, so he decided to stop being your sidekick and defect to join my organization.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Momota’s eyes widened in shock. He looked at Saihara. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, no! I’m just helping him out with a few things,” said Saihara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But why?” asked Momota.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because, he’s fallen in love with me and we’re totally dating now.” Momota’s eyes bulged out in shock and Kokichi laughed. “Don’t act so shocked, Momota-chan, that’s why we’re all here, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“WHAT?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m helping him out because we’re friends, all right?” Saihara said quickly, giving Kokichi a look that screamed, ‘please stop,’ like it would actually work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we’re besties,” added Kokichi.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Momota scratched his head and sighed. "If you want to hang out with him, you do you. But I'll rather not be pulled along into whatever Ouma thinks is fun."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Aw, you don't like world domination? Boring. I was hoping an astronaut like you would help me move onto th next step- universe domination!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can you two stop antagonizing each other for a few seconds? Please? We’re here to help you get together with Harukawa-san,” said Saihara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harumaki?” Momota-chan was silent for a second. “Is it that obvious I like her?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” said Kokichi and Saihara at the same time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You spent six straight hours sitting with her in front of her lab and talking her away from it," said Saihara. “Then you invited her along to our training.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After learning she’s killed dozens of people! You must really think she’s hot, huh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It’s more than her being hot! Harumaki… She’s just the coolest girl I’ve ever met.” Momota nodded. “She’s a rival, and that’s why I appreciate her!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"She likes you too, you know?" said Kokichi. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Man, are you sure? I dunno.” Momota looked off to the side. “I think someone like Shuuichi, who's more level-headed than me, might be better for her. We’re friends, but I think I make her angry a lot. Her face always gets red when I touch her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s blushing, Momota-kun,” said Saihara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s hard to get a read on."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're probably one of the few people who've been nice to her," continued Saihara. "Of course she would like you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even the hot-headed wannabe shounen protagonist had confidence issues when it comes to love, huh? What a pain. Fortunately, Momota was a very easy person to manipulate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How boring. I didn’t know Momota-chan was such a loser.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? No, I’m not!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you are.” Kokichi put a finger to his mouth and leaned in close to the astronaut. “You’re always going on about belief, right? 'Trust in others' and cheesy lines like that. But clearly you don’t even believe in yourself to be good enough to get Harukawa-chan to fall in love with you. I expected more from someone like you. The hero is supposed to snatch the love interest up but you’re too much of a scardy-cat to do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Momota smacked his fists together. “I- I believe in myself! I’m not scared!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, then show it and ask Harukawa-chan out!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” said Momota, future of space exploration, pumping his fist into the air. “But how?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s why we’re here to help you,” said Saihara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can understand why you would want to be my wingman, but why him?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is his idea. We're trying to help everyone get together so we can go home."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"His idea?" Momota said. “So he’s trying to help everyone?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm not trying to help everyone,” said Kokichi. “I just want to get back to my organization. The world's gonna fall apart without me keeping it together, you know?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see!” Momota smacked his fists together. “So you’re trying to help the world!”. Momota was looking at him with a honest smile for the first time and it made him uncomfortable. He didn’t need anyone here thinking he was soft or something.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, I’m not doing this for you, so don’t get that in your head. You’re going to confess to Harukawa-chan, and then soon we’ll be freed and I’ll never have to see your stupid face again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All right! I got it!” said Momota full of vigor. “So what’s the plan? I just confess?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. You need to break through Harukawa-chan's exterior before you confess, or else she'll probably deny it. You two know her better than I do. What does she like besides murder?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about a present?” said Saihara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kokichi rolled his eyes. “Of course you would say that.” Saihara gave stuff to everyone. Kokichi had a small pile of toys from him on the desk in his room. He’s seen him drag an entire punching bag to Harukawa. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe there was enough room in the MonoMachine chute for them to climb out of here, or at least whatever warehouse those things were stored in. Kokichi made a note to check on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, Harukawa grew up in an orphanage, right?" She did? "So she probably doesn’t have many nice things. If Momota-kn got her a romantic gift, she would surely accept his feelings.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what, I just put coins in the MonoMachine and hope for the best?” asked Momota.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, anyone can win anything from that with enough endurance, those coins are hidden everywhere. The real good gifts, you have to work for those-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Momota blanched. “You mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to get her a casino gift!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The astronaut screamed.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>--When I first played the game, I absolutely hated Kaito. During the chapter 4 trial he drove me absolutely insane. But literally the second I stepped into Salmon Mode and did his first free time event, I started to love him. He’s my fourth favorite character in V3 after Kokichi, Shuuichi, and Kiibo now. I do wish they made Shuuichi’s friends a little less violent though…</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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